Gallbladder Cancer: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

The gallbladder

Your gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ under your liver. It stores bile, a fluid your liver makes to digest fat. As your stomach and intestines digest food, the gallbladder releases bile through the common bile duct, which connects the gallbladder and liver to the small intestine.

Who gets it

Gallbladder cancer is rare. It is more common in women and Native Americans.

Symptoms

• jaundice — yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes;
• pain above the stomach;
• fever;
• nausea and vomiting;
• bloating;
• lumps in the abdomen.

Diagnosis

It is hard to diagnose early. Sometimes it is found when the gallbladder is removed for another reason. People with gallstones, though, rarely have gallbladder cancer.

Treatment

Because it is often found late, it can be hard to treat. Options include:

• surgery;
• chemotherapy;
• radiation;
• a combination of these.

Sources

Based on the MedlinePlus health topic "Gallbladder Cancer," National Library of Medicine, drawing on the National Cancer Institute; a work of the United States government in the public domain.